VIENNE, a department of the south-west division of France, formed out of the ancient province of Upper Poitou. It extends in north latitude from 46° 8', to 49° 9', and in longitude from 0° 7' east, to 0° 58' west. It is bounded on the north by the departments of Mayence and Indre-Loire, on the east by the Indre and Loire, on the south by Upper Vienne and Charente, and on the west by the two Sèvres. The extent is 2640 square miles. It is divided into five arrondissements, thirty-one cantons, and three hundred communes. It sends two deputies to the legislative chamber, and contained in 1836, 288,002 inhabitants. They all adhere to the Catholic church, except about 14,000 Calvinists, settled in and around Rouille. The people adhere rigidly to their ancient manners and practices, and are reported to be enemies to all improvement, and to be careless, idle, and ignorant. They are chiefly agriculturists, and live, as their ancestors lived, in state of great filth and destitution, on the half produce of the land; the other half being delivered to the landlord, who pay out of it the territorial imposts.
The surface of the department is an elevated plain, interrupted by any remarkable hills or valleys. In some parts it is sandy, in others clayey, but in all of tolerable fertility, with the exception of about one-fourth, which uncultivated heath land, but which might be made productive if capital could be found, and the ancient prejudices and customs were exchanged for the more modern usages. Most of these neglected wastes are situated in the eastern division of the department, on the arrondissements of Chatelberan and Montmorillon. The principal river, the Vienne, passes through the department, from north to south, about fifteen miles, and is the only one that is navigable, and the only for a short distance, and with vessels of a small burden. It receives in its course the water of numerous small rivers. The climate is in general mild and temperate, but the north-west winds often bring early and sudden frosts, which occasionally do great injury both to the corn land and the vineyards.
The product of corn is insufficient for the consumption and potatoes, but especially chesnuts, are used as substitutes for grain. The quantity of wine produced is considerable and some of it has the property of being improved by kee-
ing for many years. Much of it is made into brandy. In some years, 250,000 hogsheads of wine have been made. The forests have been neglected, and now yield an insufficient supply of fuel, especially as there is some demand for them from the few iron works in the department. The cattle are stated to be only 50,000 oxen, and 175,000 sheep; but there are numerous swine in proportion to the other animals, amounting to about 45,000. These are mostly sent to the supply of Nantz, Rochelle, and Rochefort. Sufficient hemp and flax are grown to provide employment in spinning, and linen cloth for common use. The only manufactures besides iron already noticed, are some paper, earthenware, leather, and coarse woollen goods, but barely sufficient for the internal demand. From the water communication being slight, and the roads in bad condition, there is little commerce, and that consists of the export of oaks, swine, walnuts, chesnuts, wine, brandy, and, in years of extraordinary productiveness, a little corn.